The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are quickly turning into a relocation destination for players who were once with the Edmonton Eskimos.

The Tiger-Cats announced on Tuesday that they’d signed offensive lineman Carson Rockhill, along with receiver Ed Gant and defensive end Eric Norwood. Rockhill and Gant were both in the Eskimos’ training camp this year, but were both victims of the team’s final cutdown day last week.

Rockhill’s release was surprising, given that Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey had traded for him on Feb. 5. Hervey sent Canadian offensive lineman Greg Wojt, import linebacker Simoni Lawrence and quarterback Jermiah Masoli to Hamilton in exchange for Rockhill and Canadian linebacker Nathan Kanya. The Ti-Cats drafted Rockhill 13th overall in the 2012 Canadian Football League Canadian draft but couldn’t sign him and he went back to the University of Calgary.

With just Kanya left in Eskimos’ colours from that five-player deal, Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said he wished Rockhill well in Hamilton.

“We really felt that that player has a lot of upside and a lot of potential and that’s why we traded for him,” he said. “Unfortunately for us and him, at this time we looked at (Chris) Mercer and looked at our situation and felt that for what we are looking for we felt that Mr. Mercer was the better option.

“That is not to say that Carson is not going to have a stellar playing career because we feel that he will, given time. I think Hamilton made a very good decision and we’re very comfortable with our decision to go with Mercer over Carson but we feel they’re getting a good player.”

Mercer, a University of Regina product, is currently on the Eskimos’ practice roster.

Reed said there were no regrets on the February trade.

“In football…when you’re talking about players and personnel, everything doesn’t fit sometimes as you would wish,” he said. “Carson, as we vetted him through our film and our research and were talking to people we felt had an opportunity here.

“Once things came together and he was here in person and we saw in survey what we had we felt more comfortable with Mercer and given the limited numbers we have to work with that’s the situation.”

The Eskimos will see all of those former teammates on Sunday in Guelph in the Ti-Cats’ home opener at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is 3 p.m. and is airing on 630 CHED and TSN.

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